Jhanas vs (formless) ayatana

Discussion
1

In the context of 9 attainments (4 jhāna, 4 immaterial states, cessation of perception & feeling) why jhāna isn’t called āyatana? Why only the “immaterial” attainments ( ākāsānañcāyatana, viññāṇañcāyatana, ākiñcaññāyatana, nevasaññānāsaññāyatana) are called āyatana? Is there a special significance in that?

Thank you.

1 Like
2

The significance is that the ‘ayatana’ secondary meaning is the sense spheres and these are overcome in the immaterial attainments.

3

If one overcomes āyatana in immaterial attainments, then why call those states x-āyatana?
Why not call jhānas to be āyatana instead?

4

Your sense experience (āyatana) is of one thing (Infinite Space etc). So, if we take the first one, all you see is “space” instead of space and forms.

5

In contrast to Western materialism, in the Buddhist perspective ‘non-action’ is the positive quality. So ‘ayatana’ the absence of the form realm is the desirable reality, like anatta. The results of non-action can be seen with the observation of cause & effect.